Painting and sculpture of Sweden. A
geometrically stylized dragon ornament
characterized Swedish art and crafts before
and during the Viking period. Bright and
cheerful folk art flourished in church and
secular decorations from the Middle Ages into
the 19th century. Although the main movements
in European art have successively taken hold
in Sweden, artists have repeatedly returned
to a national tradition. 5000-500 BC Animal
pictures carved in or painted on rock can be
found in central Sweden. 500 BC-11th century
AD Bronze and gold jewellery; memorial stones
carved with runes and ornaments. 12th-16th
centuries Woven tapestries show the
geometrically stylized animals that also
occur in jewellery and carvings. Churches
were decorated with lively, richly ornamented
frescoes. Wooden sculptures were initially
stiff and solemn, later more realistic and
expressive. 17th century Sculptors and
portrait painters who had studied Italian
Baroque were patronized by Sweden's rulers.
18th century Swedish Rococo was more
restrained than its French models;
chinoiserie was popular because of Swedish
trade with the orient. Alexander Roslin
(1718-93) was one of several portrait
painters who continued their career in
France. Rococo was supplanted towards the end
of the century by a light Neo-Classical style
known as Gustavian. The sculptor J T Sergel
based his strong, sensual work on studies of
ancient art in Rome. 19th century Academic
history painting was superseded by the work
of artists influenced by the French
Impressionists and by the nationalist spirit
current in many countries. The watercolour
interiors by Carl Larsson (1853-1919) of his
home were very popular. Anders Zorn
(1860-1920) loved colour and nudes. Bruno
Liljefors (1860-1939) specialized in
paintings of animals. early 20th century The
Romantic nationalist Jugend style can be seen
in the monumental sculptures of Carl Milles
(1875-1955) throughout Sweden and in the USA.
Albert Engstrom (1869-1940) was a prolific
illustrator and cartoonist. Nils von Dardel
(1888-1943) was an early Surrealist painter.
late 20th century Figurative art
predominated, ranging from the dreamlike,
symbolic paintings of Lena Cronqvist, Asa
Moberg, and others to the realistic
still-life graphics of Philip von Schantz
(1928-).